I've been accused of being an idealist in the past. Probably rightfully so. There are certain things that I'd love to be pure in some way, whether it's art or coding or the perfect paint job. But the reality of the world often intervenes and reminds me that my technique is imperfect, the paint is imperfect, I'm imperfect, the world is imperfect. There's no way to escape those aspects of reality.

I sit at the front line of a war. Each side tucked just beyond sight, awaiting the other to call for a truce while simultaneously waiting for the next barrage of murderous fire to come reigning down.

I sit in the middle, trying to coax each side out of their holes and come to an armistice. While each side stands firm in their righteous belief that it should be the other to expose themselves first. And while each side convinces me that there is nothing that they can or should do, that they have no responsibility in the matter.

Her eyes sought his over and over. Searching, probing, flicking from one point to another, measuring his expression, studying his face, logging every detail.

Really he had no idea what went through her head in those moments. Was she looking for some sign. Was she looking for him to be looking back at her in some special way. Was she waiting for a smile. Was she looking for some sign of passion.

2:30 am and I just finished a 3 hour long conversation with my wife over the parenting of our oldest daughter. It's one of those topics that we've gone back and forth on. Her view point is that I'm overly restrictive, mine is that because of my daughter's numerous past mistakes and deceits, that I need her to do a little more work.

Kat brings her own emotional baggage of a drunken, abusive and restrictive father into the mix. I bring my own emotional baggage of a father who was never there and the lack of any parenting in my mid to late teens.

The last time that I did a design for my own site must have been 10 or 15 years ago. Since then I've been using one of the stock themes that came with the blogging software. As a professional web designer it's a little embarrassing to have gone this long without putting my own mark on my own site.